[Functional morphology of the adrenal cortex and incretory kidney structures in the salt-losing form of adrenogenital syndrome in children]. / Funktsional'naia morfologiia kory nadpochechnikov i inkretornykh struktur pochek pri sol'teriaiushchei forme adrenogenital'nogo sindroma u detei.

The adrenals and kidney incretory structures (the juxtaglomerular apparatuses and renomedullary interstitial cells) were studied in 12 cases of a desalinization form of the adrenogenital syndrome in children who died at the age of 1-6 mos of acute water-electrolytic disturbances in order to assess function of the structures involved in the regulation of the water-salt equilibrium. The adrenals and kidneys from 7 children of the same age who died of mechanical asphyxia, were taken as controls. The depth of adrenocortical zones, volumes of nuclei and nucleoli in different cortical zones were determined; the juxtaglomerular index, cell count (including vacuolized cells), the area of the juxtaglomerular apparatus and mesangium were determined in the juxtaglomerular apparatus. The amount of cell lipid granules (the interstitial-cellular index), the mean granule volume and the total granule volume were counted in renomedullary interstitial cells. The results were statistically processed, and a paired correlation analysis of all the studied parameters was performed. In the desalinization form of the adrenogenital syndrome morphometric investigation of the glomerular and fascicular zones revealed compensatory processes, not of hyperplastic nature but mainly of hypertrophic nature; morphological and morphometric characteristics of the kidney incretory structures indicated tension of the renin-angiotensin system and probably a decrease in prostaglandin synthesis in salt and water loss. In the control group parameters of structures related to the regulation of the water-salt equilibrium, especially in the adrenal cortex, showed good correlation. In the desalinization form of the adrenogenital syndrome some other relationships between these structures developed.

[Morphology of the adrenal cortex in the adrenogenital syndrome with salt loss]. / Morfologiia kory nadpochechnikov pri adrenogenital'nom sindrome s poterei soli.

Adrenals were studied in 17 children with adrenogenital syndrome with a salt loss. Adrenals from 9 children who died from mechanical asphyxia served as control. Adrenal weight, the width of adrenal zones were measured, the volumes of nuclei and nucleoli were calculated after having been drawn on millimeter paper. The dilatation of both fascicular and reticular zones, the persistence of a fetal zone were found. Nuclear polymorphism, hyperchromatism and in 2 cases-mitotic figures were observed in the fascicular zone. An increase of nuclear and nucleolar volume is noted in cells of glomerular and fascicular zones. The zones of an increased functional activity (inner part of a glomerular zone and external part of a fascicular one) are distinguished. Alterations if cortex cells are the evidence of their hypertrophy and, to a lesser extent, their hyperplasia.

[Hypertrophy of the adrenal cortex]. / O gipertrofii kory nadpochechnikov.

The human adrenal cortex in essential hypertension and in the salt-losing form of the adrenogenital syndrome and the adrenal cortex in spontaneously hypertensive rats were studied by morphometry. Under long-term functional loading hypertrophy of adrenocortical cells is the common way of increasing the mass of the cortex. The correlation between the morphological parameters of the adrenocortical structures increases in this condition. Hyperplasia along with hypertrophy has been found in man at an early age. The differences in the degree of hypertrophy of the nuclei and nucleoli may be connected with different intensity of adrenocortical function in different pathological conditions.